I am happily the new owner of an old Crown Graphic. And after a bit of a clean-up and replacing some missing screws, I am quite happy with the camera itself... Except for the rangefinder. Since I couldn't find the answer anywhere else, here I am...

Have no idea how old this one is, serial #854686 if someone could find out? It has a side mounted Kalart rf. And it's deffinitely not adjusted for the 152mm Ektar mounted with it. I've read the info on adjusting the RF, but there's still a couple of questions...

First, the arm on the inside of the camera where it mounts to the RF itself. It's held onto a shaft by a set screw. The shaft has a flat on it. The set screw is not on the flat! Should it be? Or does it make a difference? I checked my Speed and it doesn't have a flat on the shaft...

Second, there is a screw on the front of the RF just over the "E" in 'Range' and just below the top window. My Speed has the same space for it, but no screw. Anyone know what this screw is for? It appears to be some sort of adjustment, not a holding screw (since it has no head and would screw right through the body). I don't see this mentioned anywhere in the docs? It does have the Focuspot attached and I thought it might have something to do with that?

But the more important question would be the first. Should I reset the arm so the screw is on the flat of the shaft and then readjust the RF?

The external adjusting screw I think is to laterally adjust the image. Inside there is a gross adjustment and the outside allows you to essentially reset it after a while, should it go out a bit.

Sert Baunders, also known to people that can type as Bert Saunders has an excellent email about just where the arm should lie in relation to the body when the rangefinder is at rest and the arm is loose.

On 2001-12-18 19:55, Les wrote:
The external adjusting screw I think is to laterally adjust the image. Inside there is a gross adjustment and the outside allows you to essentially reset it after a while, should it go out a bit.

Sert Baunders, also known to people that can type as Bert Saunders has an excellent email about just where the arm should lie in relation to the body when the rangefinder is at rest and the arm is loose.

AAhhh, thanks Les. I knew it had to be some kind of adjustment. I guess there were more than one model of Kalart RF's...

I'll search out Sert's (or Bert's) email address and ask for his 'email'.

By the way, does anyone know what happens when you put a screw into the bottom of the RF (into the body) that's just a little bit too long? I now do... It pulls back the side mounted body-release so it doesn't work... Gees, it took me too long to figure out why it wasn't working _after_ I put the screws in...

In general terms there were three general models that I can think of at the moment.

the first model usually found on mini speeds is what I call the tubular model in that you can't remove a cap or top, its made from an extruded tube and the adjustments are out in the open.

A longer version of this shows up from time to time on Pre-Anniversaries, it has an external arm.

The chrome model usually found on Annies are next I think these have a hidden nut to adjust one scale and came with a thin wrench. this thin wrench is about the only thing I haven't seen on ebay.

Then comes the two black models, one with an external screw one without. I don't know if they coincide with the screw/no screw versions, but there are black models that use a second mirror and better models that use a prism at the bottom.

Thanks Les. So far I only have to worry about the black models, but Graphics seem to be slightly adictive...

Curiosity got me and I checked my Speed (without external screw) and Crown (with external screw). I haven't taken them apart, but looking through the windows, they both seem to have a prism at the lower window. I don't know if this is good or bad, but at least it coincides with my one Kalart instruction sheet. Which doesn't show the external screw...

I've e-mailed Bert (thanks Bert!) and ordered a factory Kalart service manual from Craig. I should soon have an aligned (or broken ) RF on my Crown...

There's a good point! Too bad we can't replace the upper mirror with a prism But at least we can replace the upper mirror, which I'll have to do one of these days to me Speed... I saved the posts about that

I still think there's enough of a market to bring back a few things. I always said if someone started producing Model A cars again, at a reasonable price!, they would outsell anything else out there. Same goes for Graphics & accessoies. There seems to be plenty enough market. But I doubt it could be done 'at a reasonable price'? Too bad...

I've thought about reproducing a number of things around the Speed graphic, but the problem is that you can't build one new and compete with the prices the old ones are getting. Toyo found that out when they bought the dies for the super.

By the 70s the price of a Speed was just about the same as a Hasselblad. As a guy trying to make a living with what he will buy, there really wasn't a choice.

By the late 70s (Toyo time) the cost of a Super was much higher than a Hassy. So now the Super competes with the other 4x5 field cameras. Why spend several hundred dollars when I could get an American version for less than $150?

There's a topic for discussion (somwhere else) about imports and living wages and hand made and American produced, etc...

I would definitely buy a new Graphic if they were out there though but most people put me in that 'dinosaur' category... There's the 'new' advantages of support, availability, dependability, etc that are the reasons we buy any new item. But a new Toyo? I'll go for the used Graphic. Excuse my flag waving... I'm a fan of old crafts and people being able to make a living. Not the disposable junk made today. Hard to explain, but that's one of the draws of LF. It takes time and it's not digital... It's just too bad that people's expectations are lowered year by year. First medium format was as good as LF. Then 35mm. Now digital. They're not better or even as good. People are just accepting less... And getting way off topic... Sorry...

But if you ever start making new Graphics, let me know and sell me the first one!